Old People

Every month or so, our church puts on an abbreviated service with signing and a quick teaching at the South Lyon Gardens old folks home (the sign doesn't say "old folks home", but I can't remember the proper term). The kids in our youth group have taken this over as a service activity and we had this yesterday. We've been talking over the past couple of weeks on Matthew 25 on what it looks like to serve the least of these, so this activity fit in well. Cathie was in Lansing, so I brought Nate, Maddie and Em along with me.

The people are in various stages of life - some just moderately immobile, some with Alzheimer's and some just completely out of it. The event involves going up and down the halls and finding out who wants to go to the service and then rolling their wheelchairs into the sanctuary area for church. Once the service begins, our very own Katie Green plays guitar and one of our other members plays the keyboard and sings some songs, followed by a message from Joe. Afterwords, we host an ice cream social.

I used to hate nursing homes (just remembered the right term). The smell, the people in their near death states and just about everything else about the places - plus I didn't know how to relate to some of the people in them. Having my Grandma live in one over the past couple of years has changed my comfort level (plus this particular place we were at yesterday doesn't smell like old people and pee). After having my Grandma there and in a similar state at the end, the residents seem less scary.

So anyways, enough background. The kids and I got there yesterday and Nate went with Joanne Muzzi to roll people in and the girls and I connected up with a very sweet lady named Helen. I didn't quite realize it for a few minutes, but Helen had Alzheimer's. Maddie and I rolled her in and then sat next to her talking while we waited for the service to begin. I introduced her to the kids, and 30 seconds later she asked the same questions again. It didn't take me more than another five minutes to pick-up on the fact that her memory wasn't the best. I'm quick that way. Hanging with this woman really did something for me. To sing with her (she sung worse than me believe it or not), to smile and listen was very cool. To see her as a real person, like my Grandma who had lived a real life, even though her body and mind were failing her in the end instead of a scary, smelly shell of a person was cool. Hanging with her did way more for me than my wonderfully melodic singing did for her.

I was really proud of the kids from our youth group - a group of 5th and 6th grade boys. They had the choice to not come - to sit on their couches at home or to go serve others - and they showed up and were sheep, taking care of the overlooked and ignored. Their job was to roll people in and out and to help people turn the pages of their song sheets. You could tell it wasn't the most comfortable thing in the world for them, but I was so proud that they showed up and just did it. Nate was really great with the people. He seemed to genuinely like them and talked really easily with them, giving them a big 'ol smile. I was proud of all three of my kids, plus my kids from Fusion.